Kenneth Reid Lester
Richmond Police Department
Monday, February 10, 2020
Served: 14 years
Badge #: 149
Not Included
Included (2020)
Incident Details
Cause of Death:Automobile accident
Date/Time of Incident:
Friday, February 17, 1995
12:45 am
Incident to Death Duration:
24 years, 358 days
Incident Location:
8th and H streets, Richmond
Incident County:
Wayne
Incident Township:
Wayne
Weapon Used:
None
Suspect Disposition:
Charges dismissed
Burial Place:
Earlham Cemetery, Richmond
Officer Kenneth Lester died from injuries he suffered in a two-vehicle accident nearly 25 years earlier after responding to an alarm call at The Point Liquor store on Boston Pike.
As he was traveling on South 8th Street southbound, the driver of a semitrailer next to him turned right from the left lane onto South H Street westbound and they collided. The patrol car of Officer Lester became wedged under the semitrailer, causing him severe injuries while his K-9 partner, Cheri, suffered minor injuries.
A 35-year-old male driver was charged with failure to signal a lane change, which were subsequently dismissed.
Officer Lester was initially taken to Reid Hospital before being airlifted to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. On February 10, 2020, he passed away from complications of his injuries at Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis.
Officer Lester had previously served with the Centerville Police Department. He is survived by his wife, Polly Jane (née Kaiser); son, Andrew Reid (Stephanie Toschlog); daughter, Kendra Lynn (Mark Smith); sisters, Susan (Mike) Cougill and Donita Lester. His father had served as an Indiana State Police trooper.
Historical Notes• Officer Lester is the first of four Indiana line of duty deaths in 2020. |
This memorial honors an officer whose eligibility has been preliminarily determined to meet the criteria of a line of duty death.
Officer Lester